Citrus fruit squeezing machines for industrial use have been known for many years, comprising basically two opposing cups defining a fruit squeezing chamber and movable relative to each other to copenetrate. To effect a fruit squeezing cycle, the two cups are made to approach each other in such a manner as to gradually reduce the volume of the squeezing chamber.
An example of these machines is illustrated in Italian Patent 1202508 of the FMC Corp.
Although the machine of the invention has some basic similarly with the preceding machines and with the cited patent in terms of the squeezing members which act directly on the fruit (cups, knives, etc.), it presents improvements with regard to the transmission of movement to the squeezing members.
For optimum operation, said members, and in particular the movable cup (generally the upper cup), have to undergo a squeezing cycle in the form of two stages having different characteristics, namely a first stage in which the fruit is loaded into the chamber, and a second stage in which squeezing is effected. The first stage must be relatively short, whereas the second stage must be longer and involves a relatively slow chamber volume reduction movement.
In the known art, to implement said stages a system is provided in which motion is transmitted by cams operating push rods acting on the movable cup.
A drawback of said system is its considerable bulk, weight and relatively costly manufacture. Moreover if the movement curves of the movable member are to be varied, it requires substitution of the cam, this being relatively costly and difficult.